Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast

Spring climbing season is here—and it's time to translate all those winter training gains into real performance on the rock. In this episode, Eric Hörst shares 15 practical mindset and strategy tips to help you climb your best this season.
While physical strength matters, experienced climbers know that mindset, decision-making, strategy, and emotional resilience often determine whether you send or fall short. These quick but powerful ideas will help you approach training, projecting, and performance with greater clarity and purpose.
Apply even a few of these insights consistently, and you may find yourself climbing with more confidence, better focus, and improved results this season.
Brief Podcast Sponsor message from PhysiVantage Nutrition. Save 15% off full-price nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com (USA and Canada only). European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the  EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx
Key Takeaways from This Episode
1. Separate Outcomes from Identity
Results are feedback—not a judgment of your worth. Treat success and failure like a scientist treats data: information that helps guide your next attempt.
2. Care Deeply, But Stay Detached
Commit fully to preparation and effort, but let go of rigid expectations. Peak performance happens when you care—but remain mentally loose.
3. Widen Your Perspective
Fear narrows perception. When frustration or anxiety creeps in, step back and consider the bigger picture of your climbing journey.
4. Recognize Self-Sabotage
Many self-defeating behaviors stem from fear of failure. Notice the pattern and commit fully—remove the escape routes.
5. Design Your Environment
Your surroundings influence behavior more than willpower. Set up your environment so good choices become automatic.
6. Build Confidence with Evidence
Confidence comes from past effort and experience. Remember the training sessions, challenges, and setbacks you've already overcome.
7. Stay Calm Under Pressure
True toughness is the ability to make clear decisions when stress rises. Pause, breathe, and choose the next smart action.
8. Align Effort with Purpose
Grinding through pain isn't always productive. Growth comes from intentional stress followed by proper recovery.
9. Pursue Mastery, Not Just Metrics
Grades and performance numbers are useful indicators—but mastery of movement, skill, and understanding is the real long-term goal.
10. Break Plateaus with Novelty
When progress stalls, change something. Train in a new place, climb with new partners, or modify your routine to spark fresh momentum.
11. Choose Tradeoffs Intentionally
You can't do everything at once. Decide what matters most this season and accept the tradeoffs required to pursue it.
12. Consistency Beats Intensity
Big breakthroughs rarely come from a single heroic effort. Progress is built through consistent, focused sessions over time.
13. Use Checkpoints
Break large goals into smaller, achievable steps. Mini-goals provide feedback, motivation, and a sense of progress.
14. Find the Performance Sweet Spot
The best training happens just beyond comfort—but short of overwhelm. When challenge and skill align, the flow state emerges.
15. Recovery Completes the Cycle
Stress only drives adaptation when it's followed by recovery. Prioritize sleep, nutrition, rest days, and periodic deloads.
Final Thoughts
Climbing your best isn't just about strong fingers or hours spent training. It's about bringing together physical preparation, mental resilience, and strategic decision-making.
The tips in this episode are simple—but powerful when practiced consistently. Show up prepared, stay curious, remain patient with the process, and keep refining your approach. Over time, those small improvements compound—and the sends will come.
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Podcast Sponsor
Save 15% off full-price PhysiVantage Nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com (USA and Canada only). European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the  EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Connect with Eric Hörst
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Music by Misty Murphy
Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

In this episode, Eric Hörst and nutrition science graduate student Jonathan Hörst discuss the newly updated U.S. dietary guidance and the concept of a "flipped" or re-prioritized food pyramid that emphasizes nutrient density, whole foods, and protein—rather than carbohydrate-heavy intake patterns of past guidelines.
Drawing from current nutrition science and academic discussion at the University of Utah, they explore both the strengths of the update and the practical challenges of applying it.
Key takeaways for climbers and athletes include prioritizing adequate protein, limiting ultra-processed foods, choosing whole-food carbohydrate sources, and matching carbohydrate intake to activity level.
The episode concludes by emphasizing individualized nutrition, performance context, and consistency over perfection. Jonathan also provides some breakfast and dinner tips for climbers looking to optimize energy availability, performance, and recovery.
RUNDOWN
0:30 - Intro to New Food Pyramid
1:00 - About today's expert, Jonathan Hörst, from Department of Nutritional Science at the University of Utah.
2:20 - Seismic changes to the USDA food guideline for Americans
6:00 - Guidelines catching up to modern nutritional science
9:35 - Inverting the old food pyramid
11:40 - 6 major changes to the nutritional guidelines for health and disease prevention
12:00 - #1 Prioritize protein
16:15 - #2: Added Sugar Gets a Hard Line
19:15 - #3: Whole Grains Yes — Refined Carbs No
Brief Podcast Sponsor message from PhysiVantage Nutrition. Save 15% off full-price nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com (USA and Canada only). European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the  EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx
21:35 - #4: Lower-Carbohydrate Diets Are Acknowledged
25:35 - #5: Ultra-Processed Foods Are Explicitly Called Out
31:50 - #6: A More Nuanced Approach to Fat Intake
37:30 - Key takeaways & actionable items for climbers
40:00 - Examples of healthy, effective fueling at breakfast and dinner
47:00 - Jonathan's current training and climbing goals
49:40 - Contact Jonathan vis DM on Instagram: @jonathan_horst
49:55 - PLEASE write a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and SHARE this podcast with a friend!
50:30 - Hörst out!
A word from this podcast's sponsor, PhysiVantage. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Music by Misty Murphy
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric's YouTube channel.
Follow Eric on Facebook!
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

If there's one podcast you listen to this week, I hope it's this one!
I'm genuinely proud of this episode, as it distills some of the most powerful concepts I've learned, refined, and applied over the past 30 years. I believe you'll find it thought-provoking and impactful—and for some listeners, it may even prove life-changing.
To mark the new year, I've intentionally broadened the scope of this episode beyond climbing-specific training...to explore human performance, mindset, values, and intentional living. For this month, think of it as a true training for life podcast.
At the heart of the episode is a simple but important idea: most people live far below their true potential—not because of a lack of ability, but because of unexamined habits, limiting beliefs, fear, distraction, and cultural groupthink. Reclaiming personal power, I believe, begins with conscious control of your thoughts, decisions, values, and daily actions.
Drawing on decades of study, coaching, self-experimentation, and reflection, I present a set of 15 principles designed to lift you above mediocrity and support sustained progress toward meaningful goals. These concepts aren't quick fixes—they're daily disciplines that compound over time. When applied consistently, they elevate core life habits and mental frameworks, and ultimately feed back into better climbing performance, improved health, and deeper fulfillment.
A recurring theme throughout the episode is agency: you are largely self-made, your future is mostly under your control, and lasting change begins with intentional action taken today—not someday.
RUNDOWN
0:15 - New Year's greeting!?
0:45 - Are you reset for a "reset" and course correction with your life?
1:12 - Value-based goal setting.
3:54 - Overview of human performance -- YOU, dear listener, are far more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
11:15 - Brief Podcast Sponsor message from PhysiVantage Nutrition. Save 15% off full-price nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com (USA and Canada only). International climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the EPIC-TV Shop >>
13:17 - 15 concepts and strategies for Uncommon Success and Happiness. I called them my "Mental Wings."
15:23 - #1: Your quality of life is directly related to the quality of your thoughts
17:05 - #2: Human beings are the embodiment of unused potential. 
17:52 - #3: To outperform the masses, you must do things they don't do. 
20:02 - #4: Clarity of values and goals, and a clear purpose for living form the foundation for a life full of rich, transcending experiences. 
21:02 - #5: Risk is a precursor to reward. 
22:07 - #6: Almost anything is possible once you conquer fear.
25:05 - #7: Singular focus and indomitable persistence knows no limits. 
26:20 - #8: Obstacles and adversity make you stronger.
27:50 - #9: A fit body potentiates a fit mind. 
29:14 - #10: Life is subtle—sweat the small stuff!
32:40 - #11: Your future is largely determined in the brief moment between stimulus and response (in any activity). 
34:05 - #12: Maintain a dynamic, evolving life process by reinventing yourself from time to time. 
35:50 - #13: Enjoy this moment—this moment is your life. 
36:40 - #14: Unconditional love is the most powerful force in the universe. 
37:17 - #15: In the final analysis, you are mostly self-made. 
39:15 - Summary thoughts -- please share this podcast with a friend...or on your Social Media. (Thanks!)
40:30 - Share your struggles and successes with me via email or Instagram DM to: @eric_horst
 42:05 - Hörst out!
A word from this podcast's sponsor, PhysiVantage. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
PLEASE write a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and SHARE this podcast with a friend!
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Music by Misty Murphy
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric's YouTube channel.
Follow Eric on Facebook!
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

In this second installment of a two-part series, Coach Eric Hörst takes the high-level systems philosophy introduced in Episode #122 and brings it down to earth with practical, actionable guidance. This episode walks listeners through the nine elements of an intelligent training system and illustrates how each one applies directly to climbing preparation and long-term improvement.
Eric emphasizes that as climbers progress beyond the beginner stage, climbing and training grow increasingly complex—requiring intentional, organized, and year-round development of strength, technique, mental skills, recovery habits, nutrition, and lifestyle management. Rather than ad-lib sessions or singular-focus programs (like only training strength), climbers need a comprehensive system fine-tuned daily and seasonally.
The episode explains how to evaluate your training "inputs," recognize both positive and negative "outputs," manage disturbances, and use ongoing feedback (sensors) to modulate your training wisely. Eric underscores that self-awareness, discipline, and responsiveness—not just effort—drive long-term progress. He makes the case that thoughtful systems dramatically improve performance, reduce injury risk, and provide clarity amidst the complexities of climbing life.
The episode concludes with guidance on setting meaningful long- and short-term goals, adjusting training loads with intention, eliminating counterproductive habits, and being vigilant about the subtle disturbances that erode progress over time. Ultimately, Eric encourages every committed climber to craft a personalized system—one aligned to their goals, life structure, recovery needs, and unique path in the sport.
RUNDOWN
0:15 – Eric's welcome
0:30 - Recap of Part 1 - Episode #122. If you haven't already, please listen to Part 1 now >>
2:20 - 9 elements of a Systems applied to training for climbing.
7:00  – Some climbing-specific examples of employing an intelligent system approach to training. Examples of how each system element relates to daily training activities and mission pursuit.
11:55 - You have two choices...
12:40 – Tips for applying a systems approach to your training and non-training activities
15:00 – Importance of having a mega-goal. What's your BHAG? You also need a series of short-term goals to make your journey more rich and enjoyable…and to help maintain motivation and a sense of progress.
17:50 – Importance of consciously selecting your INPUTs—training, rest, food, things you do to support recovery, etc.
22:30 – SENSOR…your subjective sense of movement quality and fatigue while climbing and training; but also via objective measures...such as tracking of metrics of fitness (grip strength, bodyweight, etc.)
25:05 – The power of DISTURBANCES to covertly sabotage your training and knock you off course from your goals. Strive to anticipate, avoid, or quickly course-correct.
28:00 – Most important: Be proactive and fully engaged in the process of training, climbing, and living. Don't be an NPC!
29:30 – Wrap-up & Eric's 50% Challenge.
🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com PhysiVantage is available in Europe from the EPIC-TV Shop and in Mexico from PhysiVantage.mx
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >>
Thank yous: La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Music by Misty Murphy
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric's YouTube channel.
Follow Eric on Facebook!
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price items with checkout code: PODCAST15

This episode is the first in a two-part deep dive into designing a comprehensive, long-term systems approach to training. Coach Eric Hörst unpacks—in rich detail—how systems actually function, and he highlights how transformative climbers throughout history "shake up the box" with innovative, highly effective methods to achieve big goals and push the boundaries of our sport.
Eric blends a concise climbing history lesson with an engineer-like breakdown of how intelligent systems operate. Part 2 of this series will deliver the actionable strategies you can use to build a personalized, high-performance training system for this winter…and for many seasons to come.
This is an entertaining and thought-provoking episode—so lean in, listen closely, and get ready to feel inspired, challenged, and equipped to level-up your modus operandi at the crag, in the gym, at home, and in everything you do!
RUNDOWN
0:15 – Eric's welcome
1:45 - Are you ready for "training season?"
3:15 - The powerful force of the compounding effect of year-over-year gains in strength and climbing ability! 
🎧 Podcast Sponsors: La Sportiva | DMM | Friction Labs | PhysiVantage -- Amplify your training and climb your best with PhysiVantage Nutrition for climbers. Save 15% off full-price nutrition at PhysiVantage.com with checkout code: PODCAST15
6:00 – Learning to climb is simple; learning how to train effectively is complex!
10:50 – Employing a "systems" approach to your training and goal pursuit.
13:10 – The value of waking each morning with a mission.
18:55 – Eric shares some climbing history…and names 5 legendary, transformative climbers that influenced him and helped inspire this systems approach to training/climbing.
20:30 - #1 Warren Harding…applied a mission approach to big wall climbing…and took commitment and suffering to a new level.
22:35 - #2 John Gill – The father of modern bouldering and training for climbing. Read his biography, Masters of Rock (by Pat Ament). Gill was climbing V9 (in hiking boots) in 1959!
24:30 - #3 Wolfgang Gullich – Applied a systems approach to training and hard climbing…and opened up the world's first 5.14a, 5.14b, and 5.14d. Wolfgang helped invent the campus board, a climbing-specific form of plyometric training.
26:20 - #4 Todd Skinner – A pioneer of big wall free climbing, hard bouldering, and limit sport climbing, Todd employed a mission approach to climbing on a massive "all-in" and multi-year scale.
27:45 - #5 Lynn Hill – First female 5.14 ascent, World Cup Champion, and Free Ascent of The Nose of El Cap (1994). Lynn, like the other four legendary climbers, employed a systems approach to her climbing life.
30:00 – Two more important influences: my parents, Bob and Ethel Horst. My father, an engineer and inventor, helped shape my innate sense of needing to employ a systems approach to training/climbing.
31:05 – Side note about Jim Collins, a leading climber in the early1980s -- later a best-selling author and business consultant, Jim described my mega-goal concept as a "BHAG". Big Audacious Hairy Goal!  
32:25– Conceptual model of a "System".
32:40 - Five elements of an open system: 1. Input, 2. Output, 3, Structure, 4. Transport, 5. Conversion.
35:30 – Making a system into an "Intelligent System" with four additional elements: 6. Goal, 7. Sensor, 8. Controller, 9. Disturbance.
41:55 – Applying an Intelligent System approach to your training and goal pursuit. If you're an advanced or elite climber, then employing a highly personalized system approach to training is essential for pursuing your genetic potential…and mega goals!
45:00 - Wrap up of Part 1 and a teaser for Part 2 coming in T4C Podcast #123!
Follow Eric on Facebook and on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric's YouTube channel.
🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com PhysiVantage is available in Europe from the EPIC-TV Shop and in Mexico from PhysiVantage.mx
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >>
Thank yous: La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Music by Misty Murphy